Cessna 172S N3512T

Summary

On 5 April 2002 at about 01:15 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N3512T was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 April 2002 at 01:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT)

Coordinates

33.6883, -112.0833

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N3512T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Canyon → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

LAX02LA133

Nobody was injured.

the pilot flaring the airplane too high above the runway causing a stall and resulting in the hard landing. Factors relating to the accident were the light conditions (dusk) and the pilot's lack of total experience in the type of airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that everything was fine through the traffic pattern to the flare for landing. The pilot said, "During flare, blinded momentarily by sunlight, difficulties to judge altitude above RWY (runway) correctly. Flared too high." The pilot said he kept the nose of the airplane up to protect the nosewheel. He said, "... speed bled off ... resulting in heavy bumps onto the RWY together with stall warning." The pilot said that after 3 or 4 bumps, the airplane stayed on the runway. The pilot then taxied to the ramp. The pilot concluded, "I simply landed the airplane too high due to the lighting conditions and my landing picture based on my experience landing an Airbus A340." The pilot also concluded in recommendations he provided that he get more landings "to get the right picture during (the) flare." A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.